Could you ever....

[TrueQ]

I've never been in a situation that would require me to kill someone, and so I have no idea if I'm even capable of doing that. Nevertheless, it seems safe to assume that if I did ever kill anyone, every time I got depressed and philosophical, I'd think to myself, "I really wish there had been a better way to handle that."

 

[little_lily613]

Judaism teaches that we must defend ourselves, but to kill even one person it is as though we killed the entire universe.

I could never purposefully kill somone and not feel guilt, not even if it was self-defense. In fact, even if it was an accident, I still would feel guilty. Taking a life is very serious.

 

[progressivegal]

I don't think so. Not to say that I couldn't do it (I'm not sure if I could or not) but I would feel imense guilt if I did. HEck, I couldn't sleep at night when I was a kid and salted a slug! If it was in self defense or to protect someone then I possibley could, by the grace of God not feel horrible guilt.

 

[MikeMcK]

Do you think you could you ever take the life of annother human being on purpose and not feel guilt? Please explain

If someone was a threat to me or my family, I would kill him and not lose a moment's sleep over it.

 

[Ave Maria]

Nope, murder is murder.

 

[Blackmarch]

Do you think you could you ever take the life of annother human being on purpose and not feel guilt? Please explain

... and not feel remorse because of it? No, however one is willing to take that burden in order to defend life and liberty.

 

[MikeMcK]

Nope, murder is murder.

Murder may be murder, but not all killing is murder.

 

[Code-Monkey]

I think I wouldn't feel guilty... I think I would feel deep remorse for that person. But that's very different at feeling guilty about what I had to do. The feelings are similar though, so I think people generally get them mixed up. I think the "correct" feeling is to realize, this is necessary, it's the right thing to do. Also the correct feeling is to realize, this person should have never brought this onto themselves. If only they had been a more loving individual, then they never would have come to this end. So there is a deep sense of "wrongness" there, but the wrongness is completely on their side.

At a MUCH easier level, a parent feels the same sort of thing when they tell their child they did something wrong. The parent should not feel "guilty" for correcting their child, but some grief is still felt because the child put themself in a position that needed to be corrected.

 

[Cian]

Never in any circumstance could I kill someone. Killing anything is the worst thing one can do in life.

 

[Code-Monkey]

Never in any circumstance could I kill someone. Killing anything is the worst thing one can do in life.

Does that include animals and plant life?

 

[butterfoot]

I agree with most of the people here who say that they could if it was to protect someone else or their family.


-cw

 

[platzapS]

I think I'm too much of a coward. Even if I weren't, then no matter what the circumstances I don't think I could do it without at least feeling a great deal of guilt.

You're not a coward. You're compassionate.

As most have said above, I could kill someone and feel justified, yet I would still probably feel some remorse.

 

[Followers4christ]

I only could kill another human being,if it was self defence or protecting my Family.

 

[progressivegal]

Murder may be murder, but not all killing is murder.

Yes. All murder is killng, but not all killing is murder (SAT's anyone )

 

[Quijote]

Do you think you could you ever take the life of annother human being on purpose and not feel guilt? Please explain

.

No.

Even if I had to take the life of someone who was about to seroiusly hurt my children/wife, I would still feel guilty about it. Obviously, not at the time I'm doing it but when the adrenaline rush is over.

cheers

 

[Vylo]

I think one of the things that has always unnerved me about myself, and that I could take the life of a person I truly hate and have no remorse. I have had occassion where I have hurt people and never looked back on it with regret. I do however, look back on it with concern that I could lose control.

 

[rkymtnjesusfreak]

I could if they were endangering my children, husband or anyone close to me. BUT, like others have said, I would feel remorse about it.

 

[Corran]

Of course. It would make no differance if the person deserved it or not.

 

[Thor11]

I've hurt people in self-defense and in friendly-defense and felt no remorse. So I think that if I ever had to kill for defense I would not feel remorse. I would feel that I did the right thing.

 

[Fledge]

I think that there are a couple issues involved in killing of any kind, and I'll try to address them as best I can.

1) I think that most people would be willing to kill in self-defense or to protect family/friends. I know that I would be willing to do so, although I would hopefully find a way to protect without the necessity of killing. Likewise, I think that most people who actually do kill someone in defense wish that there had been some other way to resolve the issue, and I would be rather disturbed by anyone claiming he had killed and had never wondered if there could have been a better way.

2) People can grow callous rather quickly, and so if a soldier were to be involved in many battles and kill many enemy soldiers, he would doubtlessly reach a point when he honestly didn't care about the fact that he was killing. It is because of this reason that I answered "under [some] circumstances". I'm not in the military, but I know that if I were to be involved in enough killings, (no matter how justifiable they might be) I would probably reach a point where there was no remorse anymore.